Tag: UFC 276

Sean Strickland reacts to KO loss at UFC 276: ‘I’m going to be sad for a while’

Sean Strickland reacts to his KO loss to Alex Pereira at Saturday’s UFC 276.

LAS VEGAS – Saturday night didn’t go well for [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag].

The UFC middleweight contender was knocked out by former Glory kickboxing champion Alex Pereira on the main card of Saturday’s UFC 276 at the T-Mobile Arena. Strickland (25-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) was caught by a left hook halfway through Round 1 and then finished by a follow-up right hand from Pereira (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC).

Strickland admits the loss stings, but it won’t deter him from moving forward.

“You never want to be someone’s highlight, but that’s the game we play,” Strickland said in a video posted on Instagram. “I tried to stand and bang with one of the best kickboxers. The sh*tty part about it was that during the round, I was like, ‘Man, this is going to be an easy fight. I see everything this guy is throwing. I’m getting the better of the exchanges. I’m going to beat this guy up for three rounds.’ And then halfway through, I got caught.

“So hat’s off to Alex, he’s a f*cking killer. Thank (you) all my coaches, sorry I didn’t get the win. It’s depressing, I’m going to be sad for a while. And fans, thank you for supporting me and on to the next one. It’s time to climb the ladder again.”

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CfiQZjEvJkk/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

With the defeat, Strickland saw his six-fight winning streak cone to an end. His most recent loss prior to UFC 276 came against Elizeu Zaleski in May 2018.

Meanwhile, Pereira solidified a likely, long-awaited third combat sports matchup against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. The two competed against each other twice in kickboxing – and Pereira won both fights. The first meeting ended in a decision. The rematch, however, was one for the highlight reel when Pereira knocked Adesanya out cold.

[vertical-gallery id=2558894]

UFC 276 bonuses: Alex Pereira gets $50,000 ahead of potential title shot with Israel Adesanya

The UFC handed out five post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to perhaps the next middleweight title challenger.

The UFC handed out five post-fight bonuses after Saturday’s card, including one to perhaps the next middleweight title challenger.

After UFC 276, five fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Las Vegas. Check out the winners below.

UFC 276 results: Israel Adesanya outpoints Jared Cannonier, solidifies rematch against Alex Pereira

The boos rained down on Israel Adesanya during the decision reading, but 49-46, 49-46, 50-45 said it all.

LAS VEGAS – Boos met [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] on the final horn and decision-reading, but fan opinions don’t determine the final outcome.

In the UFC 276 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) defeated [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) by unanimous decision, earning official scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 50-45 in his favor.

The first two rounds set the tone. Adesanya remained patient, much like in his fight against Yoel Romero at UFC 248. Cannonier tried to initiate the action, unable to mount much offense.  Meanwhile, the small things Adesanya did were successful.

In Round 2, an inadvertent eye poke led to a timeout and referee examination. Cannonier wiped his eye with a wet cloth and gave the thumbs up. There was some gamesmanship at the end of the frame, as Adesanya finger-wagged his opponent after a love tap to the midsection by Cannonier after the horn.

From Round 3 to Round 5, Cannonier found an increasing amount of success. However, it wasn’t enough in the eyes of the judges. Cannonier found success in control against the fence, but no damage mounted. In the final round, Cannonier went for broke and landed some good punches, but Adesanya returned. The final bell sounded and the boos rained down.

With the victory, Adesanya defends his title successfully for the fifth time and wins his third fight in a row. He also sets up a third combat sports fight against longtime rival Alex Pereira, who knocked out Sean Strickland earlier on the main card.

As for Cannonier, his two-fight winning streak is snapped. Before UFC 276, Cannonier defeated Kevlin Gastelum and Derek Brunson in succession to earn his first shot at UFC gold.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 276 results include:

[vertical-gallery id=2558573]

Twitter reacts to Israel Adesanya’s ho-hum title defense over Jared Cannonier at UFC 276

See the top Twitter reactions to Israel Adesanya’s underwhelming title defense over Jared Cannonier in the UFC 276 main event.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] remained perfect as a middleweight on Saturday when he defended his title against [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] in the UFC 276 headliner.

Adesanya (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) recorded a fifth consecutive defense of the 185-pound strap with an underwhelming unanimous decision victory over Cannonier (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) in the 10th annual UFC International Fight Week headliner, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

With the win, Adesanya improved to a 23-0 during his career at middleweight, and once again raised the question of who can truly threaten his reign.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Adesanya’s title defense over Cannonier at UFC 276.

Video: Israel Adesanya recreates Undertaker’s WWE walkout at UFC 276

Watch UFC champion Israel Adesanya pull off the Undertaker entrance for his walkout at UFC 276.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] gave WWE fans a treat with his entrance at UFC 276.

The UFC middleweight champion recreated the famed entrance from pro wrestling legend the Undertaker for his Saturday walkout at UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Adesanya, who’s no stranger to getting creative for his walkouts, came out with a black hat and the urn for his walk to the octagon for his title defense against Jared Cannonier.

Check out Adesanya’s walkout below:

[vertical-gallery id=557185]

Israel Adesanya def. Jared Cannonier at UFC 276: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Israel Adesanya’s unanimous decision win over Jared Cannonier at UFC 276.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] at UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports)

Twitter reacts to Alexander Volkanovski’s dominant title defense over Max Holloway at UFC 276

See the top Twitter reactions to Alexander Volkanovski’s dominant trilogy-fight title defense over Max Holloway at UFC 276.

[autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] is now 3-0 over [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] in head-to-head competition after emerging from UFC 276 as still the featherweight champion

Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) took a big risk by fighting Holloway (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) again after winning the first pair of bouts, but it paid off with a lopsided unanimous decision victory in the event co-headliner at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

It is now four consecutive title defense for Volkanovski, who extended his remarkable winning streak to 22 consecutive fights.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Volkanovski’s title defense over Holloway at UFC 276.

Alexander Volkanovski def. Max Holloway at UFC 276: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Alexander Volkanovski’s win over Max Holloway at UFC 276.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] at UFC 276 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Photos by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC 276 results: Alexander Volkanovski shuts down Max Holloway in dominant decision win

Alexander Volkanovski dominates Max Holloway to set the score 3-0.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] left no doubt in his trilogy rematch with [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag].

The UFC featherweight champion put on a clinic against rival Holloway in the UFC 276 co-main event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) beat Holloway (23-7 MMA, 19-7 UFC) with a unanimous decision 50-45 sweep of the judges’ scorecards.

The first round started even while both fighters looked to get each other’s distance and timing. But halfway through the round, Volkanovski grew in confidence and talked to Holloway while tagging him with his right hand. The shots were clean and powerful for the champion. In the final seconds, Holloway connected with a couple of good right hands, but it was clear Volkanovski had done the more significant work.

In the second, Volkanovski picked up right where he left off. He tagged Holloway often and seemed to be the quicker fighter. Holloway pressed Volkanovski and looked to get his offense going, but Volkanovski clearly got the better shots. By the halfway point, Volkanovski opened up Holloway above his left eye. Holloway bled a lot, but kept pushing forward.

From that point forward, it was smooth sailing for the most part for the champion. Holloway kept moving forward, looking to get offense going, but Volkanovski’s defense was too much for the Hawaiian. Volkanovski picked his shots and battered Holloway over the next 15 minutes.

With the win, Volkanovski added to his lengthy streak. The Australian is undefeated in his past 22 bouts, including 12-0 in the UFC. Volkanovski’s lone career loss came in 2013 in regional promotion Australian FC.

Volkanovski’s resume now includes three wins over Holloway, Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung. He’s regarded by some as the greatest featherweight of all time.

Holloway now is 0-3 against Volkanovski. The Hawaiian has been unable to get the belt back since he lost it to Volkanovski in December 2019 at UFC 245. Holloway tried to regain it in 2020, but lost by split decision. He then rebounded against Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez before Saturday’s third loss to Volkanovski.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 276 results include:

[listicle id=2558922]